One of my favorite parts of development are transitions. There are many different types of transitions from infant to toddler that help mold and shape their development. Transitions are the gateway to mobility such as rolling, crawling, cruising, and walking. To put it plainly, transitions are basically moving from one position to another. The first transition children usually make is rolling, whether it’s rolling from their back to their belly, or their belly to their back, they are moving from one position to the next. One of the most crucial transitions that is often checked for at pediatric appointments is being able to sit up from a lying down position. This transition requires a lot of strength and stability due to not only pulling up their body weight against gravity but also maintaining their balance as they are doing so. This transition is ideally done through a side lying position (I will go over this transition in more detail under the tips section below). The next important transition children will develop is moving from sitting to up onto their knees in a “tall kneel” position, and then transferring from the tall kneel position up into standing. Once they are able to stand, transitions become skills such as cruising, transitioning between various surfaces or furniture, and eventually to walking.
In general, transitions usually lead to the development of a new functional/developmental skill. They are literally the “transition” from one skill to the next. Transitions can be tricky due to the skills they require, most of the time they require a great amount of strength, balance, stability, and coordination to get from one position to the next. Focusing on the specific position or skill that they are moving from and focusing on the one they are moving to is a great way to help with the ability to transition. For example, if you want to work on getting up into sitting from a lying down position the functional skills to work on would be rolling, side lying, and balancing upright in a sitting position. Once these positions are solidified then, working on the transition from one position to another is possible. If the child is not yet sitting upright by themselves and able to maintain it, they are not going to have the adequate strength or balance to pull themselves up into that position and maintain it.
Tips for Helping with Transitions:
Transitioning from lying down to an upright sitting position:
-roll the child into a side lying position and bend legs up to form an “L” shape (90 degree angle at the hips)
-slowly lift the child’s upper body through the side lying position up into a sitting position – as the child gets stronger, encourage them to put their hands down on the ground and help walk their upper body up from the ground into sitting
-*it is important to remember to practice this on both sides of the body to develop symmetry in muscle strength
Transitioning from sitting to a tall kneel position:
-when the child is in sitting, help them into a side sitting position by turning the child’s legs to one side of the body
-once in a side sitting position slowly help lift the child onto their knees (if they are strong enough have them reach up onto a couch or low furniture surface to help pull themselves up onto their knees)
Transitioning from sitting to pulling to standing:
-once in sitting, transition the baby into a tall knee position (described above)
-once they are in a tall knee position on their knees at a couch or furniture surface, lift up one leg so they are kneeling on one knee with the other leg up ready to stand
-slowly lift the child from their bottom up into a standing position, as the child gets stronger you should be able to feel them assisting you in pushing themselves up into standing – they can also use the couch or furniture surface to pull onto to help get themselves up into standing
Transitioning in standing from one surface to another:
-stand child at furniture or low table and place another low table or a standing toy next to them
-encourage them to reach over to the other surface by placing one hand on the other surface
-after they have one hand on each surface encourage them to move their feet towards the new surface (either move their feet for them, or if they are able to cruise have them start to cruise over to the new surface)
-once they get their feet over far enough have them follow-up by placing the other hand on the new surface as well
*Favorite toys for transitions and new standers: Transition Toys
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